Central still has a long way to go

Do not call Central coach Bobby Wright’s words to his team criticism. It is not. He is just giving his team some tips to get better. After all, this is a young and inexperienced squad of Red Devils —for now.

The Red Devils defeated Russell County for the second time in two weeks to improve to 2-0 for the season. Central defeated the Warriors 65-33 in a game that was never close.

“We have been playing some pretty good defense so far. Against Russell County, our height was a problem for them. I had my kids use a lot of different defenses. I was just testing how my kids reacted to each one,” Wright said after the victory.

Wright did compliment his squad for its defense, but he still has a lot of concerns about the direction his team will travel this season.

“We still have a long ways to go. We have made entirely too many turnovers. The turnovers are really eating me up. I knew we would have growing pains this season. I just hope I am able to grow with this bunch. We had 23 turnovers against Russell County. I would like to see that number reduced to single figures or in the low teens. We also have not jelled on offense. We are just kind of just throwing the ball up there and hoping it will go in. I am not criticizing. I really think we have a chance to have a pretty good team before the season is over,” Wright said.

At this point, Wright has 10 players on the squad. He will carry 15 total players when he gets a full roster once football season ends and the incoming players get in basketball shape.

“It is so early in the season that I am just trying to figure out the right chemistry for this bunch. Right now, with 10 players, we are using everybody to see which players work best together. We will have to do some of this again when I get the guys from football. But, I want everyone to know I am proud of what this bunch has done so far,” Wright said.

Central began its game with Russell County last Saturday night by outscoring the Warriors 18-8 in the first quarter. By halftime, the Red Devils had a 33-19 lead. In the third quarter, the Red Devils outscored Russell County 18-4 to take a 51-23 advantage heading into the final eight minutes. In the fourth quarter, Central scored 14 points to Russell County’s 12.

Josh Biggs led Central’s scorers with 20 points. Tremere Brown scored 16 points and had 12 rebounds to get his first double-double of the season.

The Red Devils continued their season schedule this past Tuesday night against Opelika High after Citizen press time. The Red Devils will travel to Spencer High on Friday to face the Greenwave. On Saturday, Central will be at home to take on Northview High of Dothan’s Cougars.